Time Reveals All Secrets
by TimelordOrConsultingDetective
Summary: When Henry dies in Jo's arms, he must break down his walls to tell Jo his story.


Jo looked down at the the man she held in her arms. The man whose blood was soaking through her jeans. He was her partner, her friend, her Henry. Selfless, brave, foolish Henry, who jumped in front of a bullet to save her life. At the cost of his own. Jo felt a cold finger brush away an errant tear.

"Don't cry, Jo. Please, everything will be ok, I promise."

Ok!? How could Henry think any of this could possibly be ok? He would die, and there was nothing she could do about it. Jo shook her head tasting salt as one of her tears touched her lip.

"You stupid idiot," Jo managed to murmur softly, brushing a hand over her partner's rough stubble, cupping the sharp curve of his chin in her hand. Her thoughts were stuck on blame, running on repeat; if she hadn't let him go with her to apprehend the suspect, if she hadn't let him jump in front of her -

"Hey, this isn't your fault," Henry's weak voice drifted up to her as if her could read her thoughts. "Promise me you will call Abraham, tell him exactly what happened."

Henry, for some reason, decided to emphasise the word 'exactly' as though Abe could tell her something she didn't already know. The both of them paused for a moment ignoring the sounds outside, waiting for the other to break the silence

"Jo, I am so sorry I didn't tell you before," Henry finally whispered, so quiet that, if Jo had not been so close, she would have missed it.

"What do you mean Henry? This is my fault." There was a waver in Jo's voice as another tear fell.

Henry wiped this tear away as well, but this time left his hand there. "Thank you, Jo."

And then he let out one last breath as his eyes started to slide shut, still fixed on her face.

One after another, tears started making their way down Jo's face. She was so caught up in her own pain, she nearly missed her partner shimmering in front of her before disappearing completely. Almost.

Jo just sat in silent as time passed her by trying to convince her that she was wrong and going crazy. But the blood left on her thigh said otherwise.

Jo didn't know how how long she had been sitting there before she remembered what Henry had said; 'Call Abraham, tell him exactly what happened'. Did Abraham know what would happen? Did _Henry_?

With shaking hands she grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialled the antique shop.

"Abe's Antiques, how may I help?" The chirp bounced down the line.

"Abe, something bad has happened to Henry, something really bad."

Henry's eyes shot open as he clawed up towards to the surface of the ice cold water, every nerve in his body tingling. As he gasped in the air he tried to remember where he had been before his latest death.

Thoughts drifted back to him one at a time. A suspect. A gun being fired and then he threw himself in front of.. his mind strained to come up with who he was with.

And then he remembered.

Jo.

Everything came rushing back to him, Jo crying, Henry doing everything he could to comfort her.

He swam to the edge of the water as quickly as he could, thanking every deity he knew that it was dark, and there would be no charges for naked indecencies tonight. Henry looked through all the bushes around the river shivering as the cold air attacked his naked body from every angle. He finally found the black bag that held his cheap phone, and dialled Abe.

"You're a right idiot, you know," was the - unsurprisingly - abrupt greeting.

"I know Abe, but this really isn't the right time, I can't feel a large portion of my body, and I left my-" Henry caught himself when he realized he didn't know what Jo was to him. There was a slight pause before he continued. "Jo," he corrected, "crying over my dead body." He emphasised the words, to make sure he knew how important this situation was.

Abe sighed. "Coming now Dad." Henry could imagine his older face pouting, just as he had done all those years ago when he was a teen.

"Oh, and Abe? If Jo is there could you put the phone on speaker for a moment." Henry waited for click signalling that everyone could hear him, before he continued speaking. "Jo, I am so sorry. Please, let me explain when I get there."

Henry wasn't expecting a reply but his heart still sank when all he got in return was a sob.

Henry gave Abraham the address and then resorted to jumping up and down behind a tree to try return some sort of sensation to his body while he waited.

Finally, a towel fell at his feet from the other side of the tree and Henry wrapped it around himself gratefully. He stepped out from behind the tree and smiled at his son who merely scowled back at him.

"You died in front of one of the only people who you trust and leave me to handle it" Abe finally burst out when they got to the car. Henry said nothing just sliding himself into the back seat to let himself have room to change while Abe told him everything.

Henry looked out of the window pensively. He knew that in a few minutes Abe was going to ask where they were going. Facing Jo meant explanations, apologies, tears and possibly, probably, rejection. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with that, now or ever. The easiest thing would be to head out of town. He'd done it before and he could definitely do it again. It was the easiest option and the one he was best at.

Abe drove on in silence. Henry knew what he was thinking. Abe had seen Henry run away a lot over the last few years. He used to try and persuade him to stay, but lately he'd just given up. Henry wondered what sort of role model he was for his son. Then again, not many people had had to deal with what he regularly dealt with, so they didn't have much room to judge him.

The easy path or the hard road? Henry weighed up his options. The easy path was looking better and better as they drove.

He had no experience of trying to really explain his strange condition. Those people who had learned about it had been less than understanding. Why should Jo be any different? Like so many in the past she was sure to want him to 'get help', maybe even admit him to a mental institution to help him with his 'strange fantasies'.

The risk was too big – easier to walk away now. Turn right and head off into the sunset like he had a dozen or more times before.

He opened his mouth to speak and caught Abe's eye in the rear vision mirror. Henry cleared his throat which suddenly seemed dry and closed up. He coughed and cleared his throat a couple of times before finally saying; "Turn left, Abe."

By the time the got back to the antique store he was dressed in his normal clothing, knew the whole story about how Jo called Abe, and how he found her in hysterics in the same place they had been when Henry was shot. Abe took her back to the antiques store and fixed her a strong drink. He explained how Henry couldn't stay dead and showed her some photos of proof, but told her the rest of the story was his to tell.

When Henry rang, she started crying again apparently.

Henry's heart broke at the thought of putting Jo in so much pain.

He was so nervous as he reached the front door that he had to get Abe to open the door. Henry's hands were shaking so much he couldn't even get the key in.

Henry followed Abe upstairs and into the room, Jo was sitting, staring at her drink without really seeing it.

"Jo?" Henry's voice was quiet and low as he slowly made his way over to the woman. It wasn't until he was a few feet away from her that she noticed anyone was there

"Henry." She looked at him like a scared puppy and Henry just wanted to comfort her somehow but knew it would do more harm than good for the closed off woman.

"I am so sorry you had to see that," Henry whispered

There was a long pause before either of them spoke again but it was Jo who broke the silence

"Were you ever going to tell me your secret?" She spat the last word like it was poison

"I didn't know how to Jo," Henry hoped Jo would understand but didn't expect she would, Jo loved with her whole heart, and didn't take well to secrets.

And Henry was right. Jo stood up to face Henry and slapped him in the face

"I wouldn't have cared. I mean, I may have been puzzled or confused and perhaps a little scared, but do you really think you mean so little to me that I would stop," Jo paused for half a second before continuing, "whatever this is because you are different?!"

Henry had the decency to look abashed at that statement, but by the time he opened his mouth to formulate a reply, Jo was already speaking again.

"I was letting you know so much about me, more than anyone but Sean, and I thought you were beginning to open up to me as well. I thought you were telling me some of your secrets as well, but now I know that was _all _a _lie!_"

Jo was shaking now as she paused to take a breath but she was yelling again before Henry could react to the statement

"I trusted you! I knew I didn't know everything about you, but I didn't think you would hide something like this from me. Henry I had to see you die for you to tell me anything."

At this point the adrenaline wore off and she was shaking even harder as the words she just said came back to her.

"Henry I watched you _die_!" Her words were desperate now, not the scathing barbs that they were only seconds before.

Henry intently looked into his partners eyes looking at the clear crystals forming in her eyes. "Please, please forgive me. I didn't mean for you to be hurt." Henry found that tears were forming in his eyes as well, as he held out his hands for Jo to take.

Jo completely ignored the hands and threw herself at Henry, wrapping her arms around him and burrowing her head onto the chest which had only an hour earlier held a bullet.

Henry was taken aback for a moment by the display of emotion from the normally reserved detective. But it didn't take him long to wrap _his_ detective up in _his_ arms, and rest his chin on the top of her head.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you" Jo's stubborn voice was muffled against Henry's chest.

"Oh" Henry deflated, his body slumping, but refusing to let go of the smaller woman.

"But I will Henry" Jo tightened her arms around Henry "I promise you I will"


End file.
